Since the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, antibiotics have been looked on as ‘amazing life-savers”. However, using them can also have side-effects, a fact not known to many people. According to an article in Psychology Today using antibiotics can have a surprising impact on our brain. Following are five little-known interactions between antibiotics and the brain.
First antidepressant ever discovered was an antibiotic
In 1951 researchers experimented with a new antibiotic to treat tuberculosis patients. However, the antibiotic they used called isoniazid had an unexpected reaction. The patients they adminstred the medicine to started laughing and dancing in the hallways. The staff found themselves shushing their normally reserved patients. The researchers realized that, by pure serendipity, they had discovered the first antidepressant. They found that isoniazid prevented the breakdown of neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine. The race was on to find new drugs that could affect neurotransmitters. That focus ultimately led to all the modern antidepressants, including Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, and others.Virtually forgotten in all the hoopla: isoniazid is an antibiotic. As well as lifting mood, the drug alters the microbiota. This was an early glimpse at the connection between microbes and brain function, and it was swiftly forgotten.
Taking antibiotics while pregnant, may affect the baby's brain development
According to research using antibiotics when pregnant has been linked with low birth weight. But why? Well mothers pass on more than their own genes to their children: they pass down microbial genes as well. So when mom gets sick or takes antibiotics, it can affect this microbial heritage. Maternal infections and antibiotic use during pregnancy are associated with increased rates of schizophrenia, autism, anxiety, and depression later in the child's life. Before you freak out, remember that associations don't imply causality, and antibiotics during pregnancy can save the life of both the mother and the baby. But it's worth keeping in mind that broad-spectrum antibiotics may also damage the microbiota in a way that can have a lasting effect on the child.
Childhood antibiotics may affect brain development.
The first 1,000 days of a child are critical, especially when it comes to building a strong immune system that is capable of tolerating the bacteria that is beneficial for the body. Although the details are still mysterious, the job must get done or we will forever be fighting our helpers, setting us up for long-term inflammation. Getting it right is important: a proper microbiota helps our brain to develop normally. Giving antibiotics during this accommodation period kills the bacteria we need to befriend. According to the article, infants who take antibiotics have a less diverse microbiota and are more likely to get IBD and depression as adults. If your child really needs them, don't hold back, but do your best to make this early training period as normal as possible.
Antibiotics can cause psychosis
Doctors have documented a wide variety of mental complications with penicillin since 1945. The list of symptoms is long, including seizures, aphasia, spasms, psychosis, confusion, lethargy, anxiety, and coma. Doctors have recently documented more cases of seriously disrupted brain function in people, especially the elderly, taking antibiotics other than penicillin. It's not clear what the process is that leads to brain malfunction, but studies show a diminishment of the neurotransmitter GABA. Many antibiotics have a structure that mimics GABA and – if they can breach the blood-brain barrier – may clog up GABA receptors. Contributing factors might include the death of GABA-producing bacteria, or endotoxins released by the killed bacteria. Or, as is often the case with biology, all of these may play a role. The good news here is that when the antibiotics are discontinued, these cases typically resolve quickly. Humans are not mice, but infants who take antibiotics have a less diverse microbiota and are more likely to get IBD and depression as adults. If your child really needs them, don't hold back, but do your best to make this early training period as normal as possible.
Antibiotics can cure certain psychoses.
If you're a doctor or nurse, you probably know about this one. Hepatic encephalopathy, as the name implies, is a liver problem that affects the brain. It can cause anxiety and profound personality changes. It is not new: Hippocrates made note of patients with liver disease and bad tempers. He said, “Those who are mad on account of bile are vociferous, vicious, and do not keep quiet.” The culprit is ammonia, which causes edema in the brain. If untreated, it can lead to coma and death. The ammonia is a product of certain gut bacteria. One treatment is lactulose, a sugar that is consumed by lactobacillus bacteria, which then lowers the pH in the gut. That increased acidity kills off many of those ammonia producers. Another treatment is rifaximin, an antibiotic that acts directly on gut bacteria. The ability to treat this particular psychosis with antibiotics is another reminder of the unexpected impact our gut bacteria have on our brain.
First antidepressant ever discovered was an antibiotic
In 1951 researchers experimented with a new antibiotic to treat tuberculosis patients. However, the antibiotic they used called isoniazid had an unexpected reaction. The patients they adminstred the medicine to started laughing and dancing in the hallways. The staff found themselves shushing their normally reserved patients. The researchers realized that, by pure serendipity, they had discovered the first antidepressant. They found that isoniazid prevented the breakdown of neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine. The race was on to find new drugs that could affect neurotransmitters. That focus ultimately led to all the modern antidepressants, including Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, and others.Virtually forgotten in all the hoopla: isoniazid is an antibiotic. As well as lifting mood, the drug alters the microbiota. This was an early glimpse at the connection between microbes and brain function, and it was swiftly forgotten.
Taking antibiotics while pregnant, may affect the baby's brain development
According to research using antibiotics when pregnant has been linked with low birth weight. But why? Well mothers pass on more than their own genes to their children: they pass down microbial genes as well. So when mom gets sick or takes antibiotics, it can affect this microbial heritage. Maternal infections and antibiotic use during pregnancy are associated with increased rates of schizophrenia, autism, anxiety, and depression later in the child's life. Before you freak out, remember that associations don't imply causality, and antibiotics during pregnancy can save the life of both the mother and the baby. But it's worth keeping in mind that broad-spectrum antibiotics may also damage the microbiota in a way that can have a lasting effect on the child.
Childhood antibiotics may affect brain development.
The first 1,000 days of a child are critical, especially when it comes to building a strong immune system that is capable of tolerating the bacteria that is beneficial for the body. Although the details are still mysterious, the job must get done or we will forever be fighting our helpers, setting us up for long-term inflammation. Getting it right is important: a proper microbiota helps our brain to develop normally. Giving antibiotics during this accommodation period kills the bacteria we need to befriend. According to the article, infants who take antibiotics have a less diverse microbiota and are more likely to get IBD and depression as adults. If your child really needs them, don't hold back, but do your best to make this early training period as normal as possible.
Antibiotics can cause psychosis
Doctors have documented a wide variety of mental complications with penicillin since 1945. The list of symptoms is long, including seizures, aphasia, spasms, psychosis, confusion, lethargy, anxiety, and coma. Doctors have recently documented more cases of seriously disrupted brain function in people, especially the elderly, taking antibiotics other than penicillin. It's not clear what the process is that leads to brain malfunction, but studies show a diminishment of the neurotransmitter GABA. Many antibiotics have a structure that mimics GABA and – if they can breach the blood-brain barrier – may clog up GABA receptors. Contributing factors might include the death of GABA-producing bacteria, or endotoxins released by the killed bacteria. Or, as is often the case with biology, all of these may play a role. The good news here is that when the antibiotics are discontinued, these cases typically resolve quickly. Humans are not mice, but infants who take antibiotics have a less diverse microbiota and are more likely to get IBD and depression as adults. If your child really needs them, don't hold back, but do your best to make this early training period as normal as possible.
Antibiotics can cure certain psychoses.
If you're a doctor or nurse, you probably know about this one. Hepatic encephalopathy, as the name implies, is a liver problem that affects the brain. It can cause anxiety and profound personality changes. It is not new: Hippocrates made note of patients with liver disease and bad tempers. He said, “Those who are mad on account of bile are vociferous, vicious, and do not keep quiet.” The culprit is ammonia, which causes edema in the brain. If untreated, it can lead to coma and death. The ammonia is a product of certain gut bacteria. One treatment is lactulose, a sugar that is consumed by lactobacillus bacteria, which then lowers the pH in the gut. That increased acidity kills off many of those ammonia producers. Another treatment is rifaximin, an antibiotic that acts directly on gut bacteria. The ability to treat this particular psychosis with antibiotics is another reminder of the unexpected impact our gut bacteria have on our brain.